Waubonsie sneaks past Metea

There’s no denying that Metea Valley junior goalkeeper Megan Geldernick is a superb shot blocker and a dominant presence between the posts.

But even the best goalies can’t stop every shot. Geldernick bailed out her defense on a couple of occasions during Saturday’s Upstate Eight Valley opener against visiting Waubonsie Valley, but the Warriors were able to sneak one past her in the first half and held on for a 1-0 victory.

Waubonsie Valley (4-1-1) tallied the only goal it would need with 16:58 remaining in the first half. Senior Shannon Donelson worked her way down the far sideline to create the scoring chance.

“I saw her coming down the line,” Waubonsie Valley sophomore MacKenzie Fuller said. “I figured this might be a good opportunity.”

Fuller received a cross from Donelson and sent a shot toward the right post. Geldernick was able to slow the shot but couldn’t completely alter its direction as it sneaked past her and eased its way across the goal line.

“We’ve been working in practice on getting to the end of crosses,” Fuller said. “I figured I might as well try to finish this one and get a score on the board.”

Geldernick kept the Mustangs in the contest. She also rejected a tough shot from Donelson in the final few minutes of the first half, but her teammates could do little to challenge the back line of Waubonsie Valley and its keeper, Emma Rigby.

“We have a lot of speed in the back and this whole week we’ve worked on not allowing any shots and high pressure,” Warriors junior Rachele Armand said. “I think it really showed in this game today.”

Metea Valley (7-1-0) was coming off a championship in the St. Francis Springfest tournament earlier in the week but showed few signs of being a championship team on Saturday.

“There wasn’t a whole lot that worked today,” Mustangs coach Pat Feulner said. “I don’t know. It took us a little while defensively to kind of figure out their 4-3-3. We also had over 70 balls that we gave away on our first possession. You can’t turn it over and expect to win. Our ball control was terrible, and I don’t know why.”

“I mean, I guess it was nice that it was a close game today,” the Mustangs’ Jenna Kentgen said. “Unfortunately they did get one in and I know we should’ve gotten a few in but didn’t.”